Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
With the end of the 2016-17 season coming to a close for the Brooklyn Nets, it's now time to look back on the season that was, and look toward the future plans for the franchise.
The Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 season has ended. After suffering a 112-72 loss to the Chicago Bulls on April 12, the Nets now begin a crucial offseason.
With the NBA Draft Lottery approaching on May 16, the Nets' 25.0 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick will be sent to the Boston Celtics, who have the right to swap picks with Brooklyn.
But, despite the asset depletion, Sean Marks has rebounded quite well now entering a pivotal offseason for the franchise. Whether it's the lack of depth at point guard, or the need to get more athletic defensively around the rim, the front office has their work cut out for them.
Before we begin the offseason journey, now is a time to reflect, as I host a roundtable with some of the team's most insightful writers; taking a look at the season that was and what plans general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson have in store for the future.
As the team continues to build on its newly-established culture, HoopsHabit Editor-in-Chief Phil Watson, Associate Editor of HoopsCritic.com Justin Salkin, NetsDaily staff writer Bryan Fonseca, former SiriusXM NBA Radio Producer Jaime Oppenheim, syndicated columnist Jonathan Griggs Brooklyn Nets super-fan Doug Bearak answer some burning questions presented in this season-ending roundtable.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
1. What was the biggest observation from the season about this Nets team?
Phil Watson (HoopsHabit): The Nets are just operating from a talent deficiency that will have to be systematically addressed as the franchise is able to recover from the bad decisions made during Billy King's run as GM.
They went all-in on a very short-sighted plan that has set the franchise back several years in terms of remaining competitive and developing new talent. There's no quick fix for this.
Justin Salkin (HoopsCritic): My biggest observation, which was very encouraging, was the Nets' commitment to Kenny Atkinson's Spurs-like motion offense. For years, the Brooklyn Nets relied on anti-modern isolation-heavy offenses that really only worked for the 25 or so games Deron Williams was a star and 45 or so games the loaded 2014 roster clicked.
Finally, the Nets ditched that — and while they lost a lot this year, their style was akin to the league's best teams. Atkinson's offense is clearly built around ball and man movement, with guards making plays off the dribble, to create creases for Lopez, and openings for shooters.
What impressed me about Atkinson is his understanding that you have to play this way to succeed in the modern NBA — even when the Nets lost persistently and missed threes, he never wavered and encouraged continued shooting.
Atkinson could have constructed a more regressive system that fit this group better — but why build for a roster that will not be here in two years, and deploy an offense with a low ceiling? Rather, Atkinson stuck with his high ceiling offense that can thrive with real talent.
Two years from now, if the Nets have better talent, and players from this year who are still around are used to, rather than learning, the system, we will see the dividends.
Bryan Fonseca (NetsDaily): People (not me) would've been really surprised seeing how the Nets would've been with a healthy Jeremy Lin running the point all season. They would've been (around) a 30-win team, which I predicted before the year began.
But, instead we are left with what could've been this season. Also, the obvious growth of the young talent.
Plenty of ups and downs, but between Caris LeVert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Isaiah Whitehead, Spencer Dinwiddie, and even Archie Goodwin and K.J. McDaniels showed some good things at the tail end.
A lot of low-risk/high-reward guys paid dividends (Quincy Acy is yet another one) and next season should be incremental progress.
With a couple first-rounders and plenty of options, we could be looking at even more young talent as this current crop returns in the fall with an additional year of experience.
Jaime Oppenheim (SiriusXM NBA Radio): You have to take two things away from this season. First, this team gives you everything they've got. Second, they're really not very good at basketball, regardless of the positive vibes after the All-Star break.
Jonathan Griggs (WeMustBeNets): Much of the talk heading into this season was this idea of building the right kind of culture in Brooklyn.
After years of doing things the wrong way, the Nets finally appear to be on the right track in this department, something that hasn't been seen with the organization since Rod Thorn was the chief architect of those teams from the early to mid-2000s.
The Nets' record doesn't indicate how a strong foundation has been put in place that management can build upon. Had Jeremy Lin not missed 46 games, you could make a legit argument that Brooklyn would've been 10-15 wins better.
Doug Bearak (Brooklyn Nets Super-fan): They don't only preach "Brooklyn Grit" as a slogan, but they embody it. Our record wasn't a fair indication on our true potential. That's my favorite example of our team's grit.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
2. What is the Nets biggest strength entering the offseason?
PW: Time. There may be no one on this roster who will be on it three or four years from now, but what Brooklyn has right now is time. There are no expectations.
Even the fan base realizes that what happened in 2013 and 2014 was the basketball equivalent of nuclear winter and there is no rapid recovery from that.
JS: Having two picks in the first round. The key thing for any rebuilding team to have is optionality. There is no specific manner of how to build — some build by the draft, some free agency and some trades.
Really, there are only two rules: have options to go in different directions and do not lock yourself into long-term contracts or players at the expense of picks for a sub-contender. Unlike last summer, the Nets have options.
They can pick two players, trade their picks, package a pick with Lopez, or draft a player and stash him overseas. With six non-guaranteed contracts, they can keep or waive anyone they want or even see if any of the pieces generate a market. The Nets have cap space as well.
The biggest strength however is having two first-rounders and the options those create.
BF: Their cap situation is real favorable. Will they use it? Don't know, because bringing big-name free agents isn't easy for a last-place team no matter how you slice it.
They have a ton of cap space, though, and are not tied up to any major deals after Brook Lopez's deal expires next summer. They have plenty of young talent and will have a legitimately interesting and important summer league ahead.
JO: At the risk of sounding negative, the only "strength" the Nets have right now is a center that can shoot threes and also protect the rim a little bit. That at least makes roster construction a bit easier.
JG: The Nets will have money to spend and with a stable foundation in place featuring an intriguing young core, perhaps free agents will be interested in joining a squad that may not be too far away from re-entering the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
By not obtaining their free agent targets last year, Brooklyn will have money to spend and hopefully Sean Marks will have better luck this time around compared to last year.
DB: Either Brook Lopez's health and newly found 3-point shooting or the proven culture setup by head coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean. Both are so important!
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
3. What is the Nets biggest weakness entering the offseason?
PW: It's almost difficult to narrow it down to one, but in today's game, everything starts on the perimeter, so point guard/wing shooting.
Jeremy Lin could be a bridge to the next point guard, but he's not a long-term solution at the position and the Nets have a collection of average guys on the wing who have the advantage of being interchangeable and the disadvantage of not being more than replacement-level parts.
JS: Sadly, the Nets biggest weakness, while unavoidable, is their 20-62 record from this season.
LeBron James' free agency of 2010 was a turning point in NBA history, and what free agency since then has shown us is simple: the best free agents want to play for the best teams, so that they can win the most.
Factors that mattered more to free agents in the 1990s and early 2000s, like market size, being the man or building a legacy, simply do not matter as much anymore. The Nets' 11-13 finish is a positive, but when the dust settles, players will see 20-62 next to the record.
That hurts the Nets in trying to add talent. If impact unrestricted free agents do not consider you and impact restricted free agents are matched by their teams, where do you go for talent?
Couple that with the fact that Lopez and Lin are due for raises in 2018, unless a deal is made, and adding talent may become more difficult over time.
BF: That talented young group also has a lack of experience. All were thrown to the fire last year, which they needed, but as you can see what happens when your starting PG isn't there, it's tough to finish without guys that have experience.
Lin's value is that he's a viable starting point guard who can get his and make others better. He isn't elite, but he's good — but imagine if you had someone like Kemba Walker, for example?
Then you're looking at a team that's as good as the Detroit Pistons or Charlotte Hornets right now, because he's an All-Star caliber starting PG. That position is so important and Whitehead/Dinwiddie were thrown in a tough spot mid-season.
There's levels to this, word to Meek Mill.
JO: The Nets need two starters to have a chance of sniffing the eighth seed: One to replace (Randy) Foye (who won't be returning), and one to replace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the power forward mish-mash.
JG: The obvious answer — not having a lottery pick. Having two picks at 22 and 27 is better than nothing, but the likelihood of getting an impact player seems slim.
Yes, Caris LeVert showed a lot of promise, but history says the odds aren't in Brooklyn's favor of hitting the jackpot that late in the first round.
DB: Most would say our record, but honestly I'd say these "unknown" factors: Do free agents actually notice what we're putting together on-and-off the court. Do they want to join a rebuild filled with uncertainty?
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
4. Do the Nets finally trade Brook Lopez before the start of the 2017-18 season?
PW: It's possible, but I'd expect him to still be around on opening night unless Sean Marks gets an offer he can't refuse (i.e., a pick in the top 10 or a future first-rounder that has lottery potential).
Given the salary cap's expected flattening over the next few seasons, expiring contracts will take on some added value again and Lopez will give some team an opportunity to clear more than $22.6 million off the books at the end of 2017-18, either Brooklyn or someone else.
If the question was "Does Brook Lopez finish 2017-18 with the Nets?", I'd almost certainly say no.
JS: My gut says yes. In actuality it depends on what the market bears. If the market provides for the Nets moving into the 2017 draft lottery or moving into the mid-teens and adding a second future first, then the Nets cannot pass on that.
Lopez is 29 and this roster is unlikely to be playoff-ready for another couple of years. Trading him for younger assets that can grow with LeVert, Hollis-Jefferson and the rest of the kids makes a ton of sense. Lopez and Lin combine to make $32 million and perhaps more in 2018.
Say you add a big free agent, like (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), for $20 million per. How do you build a winner this way? Exhausting the cap on mid-tier talent will not breed a contender; trading Lopez to grow a field of kids could.
On the other hand, the DeMarcus Cousins, Serge Ibaka and Nerlens Noel trades and Jahlil Okafor non-trade, reflect one common factor: the market for bigs is awful. If the Nets are not offered anything of value, then dealing Lopez makes no sense.
BF: At one point I thought maybe, but that died down. I get the sense that at least for now, he's here to stay. The Nets will do their due diligence like anyone would, but I believe they only move him if an offer really wows them.
Brook is on an expiring deal, so I'm not sure what the likelihood is in that.
JO: Before the (Milos) Teodosic rumors, I would've said yes. For the sake of flexibility, they'll probably have to choose between Brook and Jeremy Lin next summer. I'm beginning to think they keep Brook and bring in a potential Lin replacement.
JG: I was ready for the Nets to finally move on from Brook Lopez, but I have changed my stance after seeing him successfully adding a three-point shot to his arsenal this year.
Although I don't think he will ever be the centerpiece of a championship contender, Lopez is still a consistent 20-point scorer in this league (something this roster will need) and proved that his evolved skill set works in Kenny Atkinson's offense.
DB: For most of the season, I was thinking yes. He seemed so out of place early on. Was it because Jeremy Lin was out or was it just another adjustment period for Brook?
Unless we get a crazy deal that would break the internet, I strongly feel he'll be enjoying the heights of Brooklyn through the summer.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
5. Name one player that has surprised you the most (either good or bad) this season?
PW: Spencer Dinwiddle showed he was much more than I thought he was coming into the season. He's a big point guard who showed some shooting touch from the arc this season (37.6 percent is adequate) and really made the most of his first real opportunity to play regular NBA minutes.
He's not a piece you build around, but he's a complementary depth piece that could have value moving forward–much more than I ever expected he could have.
JS: Caris LeVert. LeVert just looked so, so good the last month or so of the season. His cadence handling the ball is just great. He makes plays in the pick and roll, makes plays off the dribble and functions excellently as a playmaker finding teammates.
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When you run a motion offense, you need more than just point guards who dribble, pass and shoot: everyone needs those skills. And you need two-way wings who do that and defend. LeVert does all of that and came along so much quicker than I expected during March and April.
He is by far the best young Net: you can just see it. LeVert is a keeper.
BF: I was surprised that Caris LeVert was as healthy as he was. I'm hoping his good health is continued because he can really be a solid NBA player for years to come.
He's had an All-Rookie team-worthy season and with better per 36 numbers than Brandon Ingram across the board: points, rebounds, assists, steals and all shooting percentages.
He looks to be a steal so far, which doesn't surprise me having watched him at Michigan, but his good health has. Foot surgeries (plural) are no joke.
JO: Hollis-Jefferson is one of the most perplexing players in the NBA. His game hasn't evolved since his freshman year at Arizona, he doesn't fit into the offense and he spends half his time on the floor running around without any kind of guidance system.
Somehow that's all translated into positive on/off numbers, but it seems unsustainable.
JG: Brook Lopez! Centers have been on the endangered species list in recent years and Lopez seemed destined to become obsolete in a league obsessed with small ball and three-point shooting.
Unlike many of his "big-man" counterparts, there's still a place for Lopez in the modern NBA game. It will be interesting to see what other facets of his game can be developed. You get the sense there's still talent that hasn't been tapped into yet.
DB: Spencer Dinwiddie … hands down! It took some time for me to appreciate him, so I guess you can call me a dimwit. Pun intended. His ball handling, shot selections, ability to draw a three-point foul on a screen were all positives going into the offseason for his development.
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6. Year one with Head Coach Kenny Atkinson has been complete. What grade would you give him for the job he's done this year?
Phil Watson Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
BOn paper last fall, this looked to me like about a 20-win team. Atkinson led it to 20 wins, despite only having Lin for 36 games and losing Bojan Bogdanovic at the trade deadline. He gave lots of guys lots of minutes, tried to see what he had with several of his younger players and development projects and generally has the team heading into 2017-18 with a much more positive feel than it had coming into 2016-17. For me, Year 1 of the Atkinson era earns a nice, solid B.
Justin Salkin Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
B+That Atkinson committed to his motion offense because of its value to the Nets' future, as I mentioned earlier, is a significant component of this grade: he has the Nets playing a championship caliber style of play (with lesser players, of course). Multiple young Nets also exhibited improvement, which does reflect well. It is true that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson stalled developmentally and required a position change to unlock more skill later in the year. However, the pendulum has swung too far on judging coaches for player development. A few years ago, many smart NBA media came to the discovery that too much credit for the development of young players has been attributed to GM's for drafting them; some coaches develop players better than others. However, it appears that we have taken this discovery too far, to the point that the failure of players to develop is pinned on coaches. Some young players do not develop because they either do not work hard enough, or do not have it in them. RHJ clearly works his tail off, but as for his offense, he may fall into the latter category. With so many players taking strides under Kenny, it would not be fair to ding him for RHJ's deficiencies. That being said, where Kenny gets dinged this year is the 20-62 record: he needed to push the team into the 30s win wise, for an A range grade.
Bryan Fonseca Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
BMan, Atkinson is going to be very good. He gets it. He's very progressive and seems to really excel in player development. He also enjoys it too so that obviously helps. All the players will vouch for him as well. I'm not a grader, but sure, let's say 'B.' The Nets seem to have the right people in place to build this thing up. This will be an interesting few months for you Net fans, so get ready!
Jaime Oppenheim Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
B-He handled himself well, the offense is modern and the defensive scheme is consistent with the rest of the league. The reason I hedge is because beyond Brook shooting threes, I didn't any of those, "Oh wow, the light bulb just turned on" moments from the team.
Jonathan Griggs Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
C+The Nets went through some brutal stretches during the season, and the fact that they didn't mail it in speaks volumes of Atkinson's leadership. Additionally, the development of certain players (i.e. Spencer Dinwiddie, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, & LeVert) was very encouraging to see for a team that will needs to unearth talent from unlikely sources. This team is not far off from being fully respectable and competitive in the Eastern Conference, and with some good luck in the health department next year, 35-40 wins is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Doug Bearak Grade
Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach
B-Call me crazy for my semi-positive mentality but, let's say B-. You can't blame a coach for the roster he was given. This is no attack on Sean Marks or the players. We were practically starting from scratch. This is why I give Kenny some higher praise than most. He's been experimenting while staying consistent on his system. I don't think he'll hit a sophomore wall next season. He didn't let injuries or rookie HC mistakes destroy the team. As King Aragorn once said in Return of the King,A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day." Basically you shouldn't count out Kenny and his Nets.Next: Brooklyn's Plan In The Upcoming NBA Draft
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
7. The Nets now have secured three picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. If they do in fact stay at this draft position, who do you predict they'll select with picks 22, 27 and 57?
PW: I will be the first to admit I am not a huge draft follower and with glaring needs to get younger and more athletic across the roster, I don't believe the "who" is nearly as important to Brooklyn as the "what." Picking in the lower first round means having to reach for potential long-term upside.
Marks comes from the right background to be able to do that, as San Antonio has made that a hallmark for a generation.
JS: The easy answer here is "the best players available." With how many holes the Nets have, and the talent deficit, they cannot worry about positions, but must worry about acquiring the most talent possible.
I think "BPA" is risky if you have a foundational talent at a position, because then you need to trade your draftee and you never get fair return value; you would have been better off with a good fit. However, the Nets are not in that spot.
The Nets have to try to find starting caliber pieces at this point in the draft. Upside needs to be a big consideration, although a big risk with one pick should be balanced at the other spot. Harry Giles' talent may be too tough to pass on despite his lacking body of work.
Andrew Jones, or an international piece, also would not surprise.
BF: They can trade up, too, let's not forget. But, assuming they stand pat, I don't think they'll go back-to-back guards like they did last season with LeVert and (Isaiah) Whitehead.
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Everyone has their sleeper guy that they like in the draft, and mine is Bam Adebayo from Kentucky, and he would make sense at 22 or 27.
In that area you're also looking at guys like Dillon Brooks of Oregon, T.J. Leaf of UCLA, Harry Giles of Duke, Ivan Rabb of Cal and Donovan Mitchell of Louisville; assuming they all sign agents.
JO: Given their significant roster and cap flexibility, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Nets end up with a late lottery pick … or to not make any picks at all.
Instead of giving a few names, I'm going to say we see Marks pull off one surprisingly aggressive move that results in one long-term starter. That player could be a veteran or a rookie.
JG: The Nets don't have the pressure of winning now, therefore, I am all in favor of them drafting any player(s) with the most upside, regardless of how raw they are or if they're coming off of injury.
That's how much confidence I have in this team's infrastructure and ability to develop talent. I love how the personnel of this team has positional flexibility and I hope they continue to stockpile long, athletic players who can play in multiple roles.
DB: We need to draft a stretch four, a shot-blocking/rebounding center and either a SG/SF with reliable passing and shooting capabilities. All backups with potential to start in a couple of years, if not sooner.
